Wednesday, 3 February 2010

OPINION: An ancient empty city sits

Scientists estimate that if the western ice shelf of Antarcticamelts, sea levels will rise by at least 5 metres - if all ofAntarctica were to melt sea levels could rise by as much as 75 metres.

Excerpt from The Very Very Lonely Planet - 2060

Dunedin - Overview

Of all of New Zealand's drowned cities Dunedin is one of the mostspectacular. Once it must have been a proud and vibrant universitycity but its current state is a permanent reminder of how foolish andblind our species can be.

Dunedin was a defendable city. It had anarrow harbour mouth and many believe the eastern coastline couldhave been successfully reinforced if work had begun early enough.Unfortunately, early in the 2000s the city was intent on spendingmoney on other things like the now derelict Stadium and later gotcaught up in the Second Credit Crisis of the 2020s.

When sea levels rose Dunedin was not financially buoyant enough tobuild the defences the city required. Once flooded, there was noeconomic base to buildon or borrow against. Their loss, but certainly our gain as it is aneerie, if rather desolate, place to visit. It's certainly an objectlesson in how financial decisions can have long term implications so,if you can, take your children there.

Dunedin - Activities.

One of the most popular canal trips takes in what were the RailwayStation, the Court House, the University and the Stadium. Tickets areavailable from the First Kirk Kiosk situated at the top of Bell Hill.From there it's a short walk down the hill to the Burlington Marina- Stop 6 on the old Vaporetto Loop Route. (At one stage Dunedin wasunsuccessfully marketed as the 'Venice of the South' and they namedthe city's now defunct public boat system after the Veniceequivalent.) Single and double canoes are available on the left handside of the old Vaporetto stop. Try to organise your tour for low tideas then it's much easier to get under the entry gate at the Stadiumand into the flooded arena.

Unless you are hooked on Victorian architecture this is the highlightof the journey. There's a light and sound show that runs for tenminutes on the big screens insidethe Stadium on the hour every hour from 9.00am till 4.00pm. Called'A Cautionary Tale' the show tells the story of how the stadium cameto be and examines the reasons for its demise. Statements andassertions made by those who supported the building of the Stadium inthe 2000's are intercut with what really happened.

On one level it'san amusing spoof of earlier foolishness, but as you sit in the middleof that forlorn arena you can't help but wonder how they managed toget their priorities so disastrously wrong and can't help ponder thelong term consequences for those who used to live in the city.

It seems that at the turn of the century stadiums were a bit likecathedrals in the Middle Ages. Every city thought they should haveone even if it pauperised them. Such stadiums quickly turned intofinancial 'black holes' and some claim this one was partlyresponsible for the Dunedin Rate Strikes of the 2010's and the RateRiots of 2022.

Rising oceans were only part of the story. Declining attendances atrugby matches made the venture uneconomic well before the Stadium wasflooded. That decline was partly attributable to the high price ofadmission as a result of the capital cost of the Stadium, but itsusefulness as a location for a sports event was absolutely scuttledby the advent of the now ubiquitous 'Portable Transposers'. As theadvertisements of the time claimed, they provided an experience thatwas 'As Good As Being There'. They became the way fans experiencedany games, anywhere, anytime, from any era. As a result real crowdsin stadiums were replaced by the computer generated ones with whichwe are now all familiar. Once that technology was perfected, matchescould be placed in a virtual stadium with an appropriately partisancrowd digitally created to match each subscribing fan's requirements.

The Stadium was put to other uses once rugby was played and recordedelsewhere and a few of them are still evident. The cylindricalobjects in Section H are the remnants of compost bins from the decadewhen the turf was turned into community gardens and the long boatslide at the west end was part of an unsuccessful aquatic themepark. Keep well away from the south wall as that is where the roofcollapsed during the Great Snows of 2045 and parts of it can entangleyour canoe.

As you paddle out you may be able to see an interesting piece ofgraffiti painted just above the gate. Some of the lettering isbarely discernible - but if the light is right you can make out thisslightly twisted re-versioning of Shelley's sonnet 'Ozymandias'...

I saw a traveller on an old TVWho said - One vast and empty stadium I sawStranded in water ... Near by.. swallowed by seaAn ancient empty city sits, whose fathers,With wrinkled lip and sneer of cold commandAnd ...mocking sounds of protest as they wentBuilt this great edifice... then, desires met,Left citizens to pay for what they'd spent.So on the golden plaque the words should read'My name is City Councillor, Fool of FoolsLook on my works ye citizens and despair'For nothing of worth remains. Round the decayOf this colossal wreck, boundless and bareThe lone and level water stretches far away.

Canoes are hired by the hour.Singles 2500 yuan. Doubles 4000 yuan.Open October to March.Waterproof gear essential.

Ross Johnston is a Dunedin television producer and director and aPūrākaunui resident

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